A Mage's Melody (Serenae, PM for invite)

[Tsumiko]

The train in which she sat in squeaked to a stop, its one and only passenger swayed in her seat. She didn't know quite what she was expecting when she boarded that train, known by the locals as the allusive Ghost Train. There was just something that drew her to it. Even when it sat in the station, it seemed as though no one noticed it. An intense, burning curiosity consumed her when she seen the purple locomotive. Where did it go? How did it run with no one aboard? Why was it layered in so much mystery? These were answers that she wanted answers to.

With the doors to the train opening, the songstress stood to her feet and exited with a hesitant caution. Where the train stopped, she had so idea. It was a small chunk on land, grass and tall bushed growing upon it. On the opposite end of the floating island, a tall stone tower that appeared. Its form was inconsistent, leaning one way and then another. Taking a slow step towards it, Tsumiko jumped when the train's doors closed behind her. Turning to look at it, the Ghost Train chugged into action and took off along its route.

“Well... there goes my way out of here...” the woman sighed, watching it blink out of sight. Turning her silver-blue orbs to the left, she looked up at the tower once again. With an air of uncertainty, she followed the curious pull of her feet and made to approach the tower.

Standing before it, the air was still and presented a thick sense of mystique. The songstress debated on knocking on the door before entering, but with how motionless the area seemed, she didn't know if anyone was going to be around to hear. Going up the few steps before the door, Tsumiko pushed open one of the large white doors and peeked inside.

“H-Hello..?” she called out in a loud whisper. She didn't want to come in unannounced, but at the same time she didn't want to disturb anyone who happened to be inside. When she received no response, the songstress crept inside, taking a better look at things. The interior of the tower was rather elegant, simplistic yet purposeful. Stepping in, the sound of her footsteps echoed gently against the empty area. Looking around, Tsumiko closed the door behind her and took a few more steps in.

“Anyone home?~” she leaned a bit to the side, gazing up the spiraling staircase to try and see whatever may have been at the top. Quietly, cautiously, she began to advance up that staircase. She was sure what she was getting herself into, but she was fueled by curiosity. This wouldn't have been the first time this trait of hers got Tsumiko into some sort of conundrum. And with the train gone, it wasn't exactly like she could leave with the train being gone. So she figured she may as well explore while she was stuck here.

[Serenae]

Serenae was left flustered by the book she had open in front of her. It just didn't make any sense! She shut the large tome she was poring over, brushing her hair out of her face as she set it on her desk. She rose from her chair, the bracelets on her wrist tinging as she moved. Her weight was supported by her hands as she leaned over her desk, contemplating. Even though the only different was a physical state change, Water and Ice were not interchangeably controllable. They were made of the same exact matter, just in a different state. Why did just temperature have an effect on the magic? It was mind boggling.

Serenae stood upright, scooting her chair back as she did so. She stretched lightly, tugged at her skinny jeans to adjust them, and then moved towards the windows behind her. The Symphony of Sorcery book began humming lightly to her right, filling the room with music. Serenae let out an audible sigh and dropped her head, relaxing a bit.

[Tsumiko]

Tsumiko continued to trek through the eerily quiet tower, up floating stair cases and though ominous doors. The whole vibe about the place was mysterious, magical. It had her feeling like a small child in awe, with so much to see and explore. Though after a while, she began to wonder if the confusing path layed out before her would have an end.

She passed through two rooms on her way, one decorated with gently glowing yellow stars, the other with moons. These two rooms were large, round, and didn't have much in them but the two doors on either side. Every time she opened a door, it was with caution, slowly peaking in and loudly whispering a greeting. With every step, her eyes scanned every detail of the tower's interior. This definitely was a curious, interesting place.

The last climb, though not to her immediate knowledge, came in the form of a steep set of stairs. At the top, she placed a hand on the handle of the bulky door stationed there. There was a sense of apprehension as she stood there, and for a moment, she just stared at the golden handle in her hands. As she did, her keen ears picked up on the light humming of music coming from the other side. Or at least, she assumed it was on the other side of the door. The tower was so disorientating that Tsumiko had a hard time telling up from down at some points.

With a deep breath to steel her nerves, the songstress opened the door with the same cautiousness as all the other times. Peaking in her head, she looked around to see that behind the door, there was a complete change in scenery. “Whoa..” she mumbled in awe. Within the room was a study of sorts, various items strewn about. And among the items, a woman.

Tsumiko froze in place, halfway through the door frame, as her gaze met the woman's. “H-Hello...” she said, unsure of herself and what she should be doing. Sure, the entire time she'd been adventuring, she had wondered if there was anyone here. She had gotten her answer. “I-I'm sorry if I'm intruding. I mean no harm by it. Just a little... lost, I suppose...” she'd say, scratching at the back of her head with a sheepish grin as she moved completely into view.

Though she heard music, which was louder now that she was in the study, she seen no device in which would play one. Or at least none that she recognized. It had her tickled curious, but it would have to wait until formalities were exchanged...

[Serenae]

Luckily for the newcomer, Serenae had already broken her concentration. She heard the handle latch click and the door swing on it's hinges. She turned to see a girl that looked younger than her. From what Serenae could tell, she was about the same height but they were very different in appearance. The young woman in front of her had very long, light silver bluish hair. "Woah," the young woman said quietly.

"Oh," Serenae said, slightly taken aback. She hadn't been expecting a guest. She quickly eyed her visitor down, analyzing her with a calculated gaze before catching her eyes. The woman was frozen in place, halfway through the door. She explained herself a bit and entered fully into the room. She had a rather... different fashion sense. "Glad you enjoy my study," Serenae said, slightly amused at the woman's casual demeanor. "Lost right? So then do you need some way to get home?" Serenae asked the young woman.

[Tsumiko]

“I-I guess you could say that,” the songstress chuckled, scratching at the back of her head in a slightly embarrassed manner. “But in all honesty, I can't help but be curious. I boarded a train no one could see, came to a floating tower in the middle of... somewhere, and then came in...here...” Her words trailed off as the music from earlier rang in her ears again. Her eyes drifted about the room in search of the source, but again it alluded her. Shaking her head lightly, she turned a smile to the woman. “Would you mind terribly if I stuck around for a little while. I can't say I've ever been somewhere quite like this and if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to learn a little more. I can't quite put my finger on it, but this place is just... magical...”

Tsumiko let her eyes wander again, having the air of a (tame) kid in a (magical) candy store as she looked around with a wounderous grin. Taking a few more steps in, she stepped before the desk and looked at the woman there. Tsumiko really hoped she wasn't bothering her, and so did what she could to mind her manners and stay polite. “My name's Tsumiko, by the way. Tsumiko Shikami,” she said with a light, melodious giggle. Due to her musical talents, if she weren't paying attention to the way she said things, much of her words sounded as though they were being sung, to some minor degree.

[Serenae]

Serenae let off an audible sigh, her head lowering in a typical anime style fashion. She raised her hand behind her head. "Well the train would be the only way you could get here unless you were aware that the tower existed," Serenae replied to the rather musical chiming of the woman. The woman broke her gaze with Serenae to examine the room some more, and Serenae tried to follow. It didn't seem as if she was particularly interested in any one thing; her attention was all over the place. She asked Serenae if she could stick around for a while, and while Serenae wasn't thrilled by the idea, she wasn't against it either.

"Uhm... I suppose that's alright. You're at least slightly familiar with magic, right? I'll let you hang around but only on one condition," Serenae said, seeing the possible potential for a pupil. The young woman had ample curiosity in her. She walked a few steps father into the room and introduced herself; Tsumiko was her name. Tsumiko Shikami. "Nice to meet you Tsumiko. I'm Serenae," she replied.

[Tsumiko]

“It's a pleasure, Serenae!~” the songstress said with a happy smile and a slight bow. “To answer your question, yes, I'm rather versed in magic. I've yet to see anyone use it quite like me, to be honest...” she trailed off, looking to the side with a thoughtful finger to her chin as she tapped it a few times. Perhaps it was because she learned the arts on her own and morphed them into a way that was easiest to use, which came in the form of her voice.

It was at that moment that something the woman said clicked with her. Turning her attention back to her, she tipped her head to the side. “What's you're condition?” she asked, curiosity once again biting her. Surely, one of these days it was going to bite her in the wrong way and something bad was going to come as a result. But for now, she'd listen to what Serenae would request of her. The songstress was a rather adventurous individual, happy to just go where fate brought her. Unintentionally, she had given herself a very 'Yes Man' personality, and as such it was likely that she'd agree to whatever was asked of her. Though she did have limits, and would decline if the woman's condition didn't sound reasonable.

Even still, the music continued chiming in her ear. Though she tried her best to keep her eyes on Serenae, she found her eyes darting away every once in a while in search of it's source. It was a pretty sound, soothing and well composed. In her ears, it reminded her of the classical music her mother would play when she was a child, watching as the woman went about her daily chores. “All in due time, Tsu. You can ask later. Just... be patient.” she told herself, lacing her fingers in front of her.

[Serenae]

"Rather versed, you say?" Serenae asked, rather intrigued. The young girl before her was fairly strong, and Serenae could tell she was strongly aligned with Light, Wind, Water, and Moon, several of those elements which Serenae herself had affinities with. She was also considerably skilled with magic, though not so much so as Serenae. "Well, okay," Serenae said thoughtfully, raising a hand up to her mouth. "Here's my condition. You're skilled with Water magic, right?" Serenae asked.

Serenae thought back to the book she had been reading. This could potentially become very beneficial for her, if this other young mage could help. It could also be beneficial to her to have a friend, because that wasn't exactly something that was common to her in this... other universe. Serenae approached Tsumiko; "Help me figure this out!" Serenae said excitedly, grabbing Tsumiko by the shoulder and pulling her towards her desk. She rifled through pages of the book she had been reading earlier and pointing to a specific section that notated how Ice and Water magics reacted differently and independently of one another.

[Tsumiko]

The songstress nodded to confirm Serenae's question, blinking at her in wonder. She was curious as to what the woman had in store for her, though was pleasantly surprised when the mage began pulling on her shoulders, guiding her towards a book on the desk. Standing beside her, Tsumiko watched as she began flipping through pages, stopping when she reached the page she was looking for. Her eyes looked at the section in which the mage pointed at and skimmed over the section. The songstress had to do a double take when her confusion grew.

“Since when have water and ice been different..?” she asked herself, her confusion playing her face quite openly. Rereading the page, Tsumiko then looked up, turned to Serenae, and hummed in thought. What were the different applications of each? Were there any difference at all? Chemically, the only difference between them was their state of matter, one being a solid and the other a liquid. In that way, there was no difference. Though, looking at it from an abstract point of view, the songstress tried to break it apart “Well I guess... When applied to magic, water is more of a … defensive and healing element? Whereas ice tends to be more aggressive..? I guess..? No, because even then, they're still the same element in the most basic of standards. Just different temperatures...” she continued to ramble on to herself as she looked around the room.

As much as she tried to rationalize it, there wasn't any real way she could differentiate the two. Turning her attention back to the book, Tsumiko hummed in thought again. The only thing she could think of was their magical applications, but even then, she felt like she was stretching it.

[Serenae]

"But that's just the thing, isn't it?" Serenae remarked. "The only huge difference between them IS their temperature! And yet despite their similarities, they react independently and separately as their own elements!" Serenae had been both excited and frustrated with this anomaly for quite a while now. What Tsumiko likely couldn't have known is how difficult, if not nearly impossible, it would be to actually discover exactly why it was they acted differently.

"Besides, Water can be just as destructive as an element... Look at when you combine it with Earth or Lightning! Or even by itself, you can create powerful tsunamis and torrential rains. I think the biggest differences are that Ice is a more stable element. Water can be... So unpredictable..." Serenae prattled on, commenting on Tsumiko's observations while being deep in thought herself. "Despite their differences though, they're still the same! And yet they react so much differently..." Serenae added, becoming quiet as she fell into thought. She folded her right hand across her chest and rested her left elbow on it, raising her hand to cover her mouth in a thoughtful gesture.

[Tsumiko]

The songstress watched in silence as the mage rambled on about the matter, a small, amused smile playing her lips. She had yet to encounter anyone who was so bothered by something like this. Then again, she hadn't met many whose main focus was the studies of magic. Or at least, that's the vibe Tsumiko got from her. On the other hand, it was a rather perplexing topic that seemingly had no answer.

Serenae fell silent after a time, dwelling on her thoughts. It was in this silence that once again, the songstress heard the musical chiming echoing through the room. From where she stood, the sound came from behind her, and so she turned to see if she couldn't pinpoint it now. Looking over her shoulder at the still pondering woman, Tsumiko wandered away from the desk and towards what would have been a book, stationed near one of the windows on a podium of sorts. The music was... coming from a book? How was that even possible?

Raising a hand, she placed it gingerly upon the book and stroked its cover. There was a strong sense on magic energy that ebbed out of it, which was then formed into what would be perceived as music. She stared at a moment more before turning her head to look at Serenae. “What's this book here? And why is it playing music?” she asked, her burning curiosity written into her expression.

[Serenae]

Serenae's deep thoughts only lasted for several moments before she was interrupted. "Hmm?" Serenae asked, looking over towards Tsumiko. It appeared that Tsumiko had taken an interest in the heavy tome that contained a musical world; The Symphony of Sorcery. Serenae approached Tsumiko, explaining as she did. "That magical arrangement there is called the Symphony of Sorcery. It's a rather bizarre world full of music and melodies. It's a world many could only dream of," Serenae said, intentionally attempting to instill further curiosity into Tsumiko. "It's really quite something. It emanates it's musical essence so powerfully that it creates melodies across portals into the worlds connected to it, such as this one.

Serenae subtly moved Tsumiko aside, centering herself in front of the tome. She reached her hands out towards it, motioning with them. She caused the book to shift and open wide, increasing the volume of the music coming from it. Serenae repeated the motion, flipping pages as breathtaking images of beautiful dream like places floated above the pages, surrounded by glowing particles of magic. Each page flip changed the music along with it, filling the room with flawless transitions of music as the pieces changed.

[Tsumiko]

The moment she heard the tome's name, Tsumiko's eyes lit up with a childlike wonder. Listening to the mage further describe it, her excitement was like a volcano ready to explode. Serenae's attempt to draw in the songstress was successful and she hung on every word. A whole world within a book, which that alone was rather impressive. Tsumiko had never heard of anything like that. But it was a musical world inside a book. That... Now that was something that was right up her alley and had her desiring to know more.

Stepping aside, Tsumiko watched closely as the mage opened the book -without even touching it- and was greeted by the pleasant sound of music. She breathed out with a quiet “Wow,” as her eyes raced across the pages. The scenes were whimsical, fantastical, changing with the pages. Each one sang out with a different arrangement, befitting of the images. Or was it the other way around, where the images were created for the song..? The songstress opted to not think too heavily on the matter, least it became a 'chicken or the egg' concept.

“This is so... amazing. I had no idea something like this even existed. But you said it's a world, right?” Tsumiko managed to tear her eyes from the book to look at the woman beside her, the curiosity in her eyes still burning intensely. “Does that mean that... someone can go in there? In the book?”

[Serenae]

"Yes, it's a world," Serenae said, seeing Tsumiko's eyes light up with fascination. "And yes, someone can go in there... Would you like to?" Serenae asked, knowing the answer.

[Tsumiko]

Tsumiko immediately and vigorously began nodding her head. If it were at all possible, then hell yeah she wanted to go in the book. To be able to roam around in a world of music was like a childhood fantasy made real. And who wouldn't want to fulfill a childhood fantasy?

Turning her full and undivided attention to Serenae, the songstress' bright silver-blue eyes held so much excitement. "May I? I'd love nothing more at time this moment in time, if it's not too much of a bother for you."

[Serenae]

"Why, yes. Yes you can! But you have to be careful in there," Serenae warned. She stepped aside from the book and motioned Tsumiko to stand in front of it. "Stand where I was before, and pick yourself a page to start in," Serenae said. It wasn't very hard to control the pages, and Tsumiko should grasp it fairly quickly.

Once Tsumiko indicated which page she would like to enter, Serenae would instruct her to lean in towards the book, and stealthily push her towards the book, which she would then fall into and be free to explore.

[Tsumiko]

“I-I'll be very careful,” the songstress said with eager confirmation, jumping at the chance to stand before the book. Doing as instructed, Tsumiko began flipping through the paged. There was one in particular that had caught her eye, and she stopped on that one. It was a skyscape, with puffy white clouds and colorful rainbows here and there.

With a happy grin, she pointed to that page and looked at Serenae. Turning her attention back to the book, the songstress leaned in like she was told, wondering how the mechanics of all this worked. She was so focused, in fact, that she didn't notice the mage moving to push her in until was too late. Like being sucked into a vacuum, she was pulled into the world within the book with a surprised scream.

She fell for a short while through blue skies, and then gently landed on pillow-y clouds of white. Though, instead of the typical grunt that came with landing suddenly on something, there was a melodic chime instead. Looking around, Tsumiko's eyes were wide in wonder and amazement. Everything was so... perfect! There was music everywhere, though none of it clashed at all. Surprisingly, everything seemed to work well with each other. Getting to her feet, the songstress had one thought.

This was a literal dream come true.

[TOPIC END]

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